Those Who Remain
by SweetDragonSeeker
Summary: The fairy dies, the princess sleeps, the old days are gone; few are left to linger on.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own it.**

 **So this is meant to be a five-chapter five-times fic, though I'm not sure it'll end up all five chapters. We'll see how it goes. I apologize in advance for the accent writing, but it had to be done. This story assumes that in the event Maleficent died, Diaval gained control over his own shape-shifting and human life in general went on.**

 **SSS**

"This is the nursery?"

The new queen is young, foreign, and somewhat unfamiliar with the story that has now haunted the towers of 'King Stefan's Castle' for nearly ten years. The servant beside her casts his eyes sideways, pity in his gaze.

"It was," he agrees, and reaches forward, throwing open the doors with a grand gesture. "Now, it belongs to the Sleeping Beauty."

The room is just as it was the day the princess fell into her slumber. The rocking horse still sits forlornly in the middle of the floor, untouched since the day it was carved. The curtains hanging at the windows and from the posts of the bed are freshly cleaned, but still the same as those which hung there the day Stefan and the fairy he'd offended fell dead on the courtyard below.

The young Queen frowns, staring at the girl lying in the bed across the room, her chest rising and falling evenly in her slumber.

"She's still here?" she demands, a mixture of curiosity and disapproval in her voice, as though she believes the girl should be hidden away and perhaps forgotten. The servant smiles wryly, gaze moving upward toward the top of the posts of the bed.

"Where else is there for 'er ta go?"

The raven lurking in the shadows atop the bed curtains makes a soft guttural sound of agreement, and the young queen jumps.

"What is that?" she squeaks, and immediately it is apparent that although she is a queen, she is young and new to the name, and something inside her is still just a girl not much older than the one asleep beneath the curtains.

"The raven?" the servant asks, though he knows full well what she meant. He moves forward, sweeping aside one of the curtains a bit so that it jostles the bird perched above. "'E's been here as long as she 'as."

Hesitantly, the queen moves forward, watching the bird with caution as she steps close to the side of the sleeping maiden's bed.

"I see."

Another soft sound, this time of fluttering wings and fabric, and a moment later the raven is perched on the edge of the bed, watching the queen and her companion warily. She queen almost takes a step back, but stops herself, turning her attention from the bird to the maiden.

"She's beautiful."

The servant stays silent, but the bird chirrups softly, and his head tilts, focusing on the sleeping girl beside him, and for a moment the young queen feels left behind, watching through glass.

When they leave, she almost asks the servant again what the bird is, but she has no desire to appear foolish before one who already seems amused by her discomfort with this new kingdom and the castle she now rules.

 **SSS**

 **R & R ~Seeker **


	2. Chapter 2

**Still don't own it.**

 **Chapter two; this is where the shape-shifting comes in. Again, apologies for the accents.**

 **SSS**

"She can be placed in one of the inner rooms; the nursery should be put to its proper use."

The queen swings open the doors to the nursery, ignoring the protests of the servants, only to be greeted by a hulking black wolf, hackles raised and teeth bared in a snarl. The queen stumbles backward, and behind her one of the servants mumbles,

"We warned ye, majesty."

The wolf lets out a deep growl, stalking closer to the open door.

"We warned ye not to move try ta move her."

A swirling cloud of black smoke obscures the wolf, and the doors slam shut, sealing them out of the room once more. The queen gasps.

"What was that?"

"She's protected, majesty; the raven, the wolf; 'e 'as other shapes too, majesty." One of the servant women huffs around the pile of cleaning rags in her arms.

"We cannae move her; cleanin' and fresh'nin up's all we can do wi'out rufflin' 'is feathers." Another agrees, her accent almost too thick to be understood, and the queen frowns.

"That was the raven?"

"Aye, majesty." One of the men nods vigorously, eyes wide. "'E takes many forms, 'e does. The wolf and the bird be just two of 'em."

From inside the room there's the sound of snarling and gnashing teeth, and the servants all retreat further.

"'E be in no mood fer no more trouble today, majesty; just let 'er alone." One of the women pleads, tugging hesitantly on the queen's sleeve. "She does no 'arm bein' where she is."

The young queen jerks her sleeve away and stalks back to the doors. She tries to jerk them open, but they refuse to budge, and she steps back, hands going to her hips.

"Why does he protect her?" she asks the corridor at large. She's answered by a series of heavily accented mumbles, which, to her hearing, all add up to:

"No one knows."

Inside the room, the growling has stopped, but the sound of paws pacing back and forth over the stone floor continues long after she sends the servants away. When it finally ceases, she moves back to the doors, trying once more to pry them open. They swing easily on their hinges, and she peers inside. There's no sign of the wolf. Instead, the raven is once more perched atop the bedposts, glaring down at her warily, and she tries to return its stare. She only manages it for a few moments before she has to blink and look away. The bird makes a croaking noise and continues to watch her as she retreats from the room.

 **SSS**

 **R & R ~Seeker**


End file.
